Neil Patrick Harris takes hosting talents to NBC variety series

LOS ANGELES- With the Emmys and Tonys under his belt and his first Oscars hosting gig lined up, actor Neil Patrick Harris is turning his talents to anchor a new NBC variety show, the Comcast Corp-owned broadcast network said on Monday.

Harris, 41, best known as the womanizing Barney Stinson on long-running CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” will host the new prime time series, which will feature live comedy skits, musical numbers, game shows and hidden camera pranks on celebrities, NBC said in a statement.

The format of the yet-to-be-titled series is based on the popular British ITV show “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway,” which has already been adapted in numerous European markets including German and Italian versions.

NBC has ordered 10 episodes of the U.S. series from ITV Studios America, which will be filmed in front of a live audience. No air date has been scheduled yet.

The show is the latest on Harris’s portfolio after it was announced earlier this month that he would be the host of the 2015 Oscars.